Ice sled



March 25, 1958 .lv. A. s'rEFANKA ICE SLED 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed DSG. 28, 1954 INVENToR. Joseph A. Sie fam/va United States Patint OH ICE SLED Joseph' A. Stefanka, Vanburen, Ohio Application December 28', 1954',l Serial No. 478,058

2 Claims. (Cl. 18d- 6) The present invention relates to motor driven sleds for use cnice and snow.

Thev primary' object ofthe present' invention is to provide a new and novel motorized sled for use on ice or snow and one having novel control means for providing a positive drive engagement of the driving wheel with the ice or snow. Y

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ice sled of sturdy and safe construction, one having a motor easily controlled by a child, and one which is virtually nontipable.

V A further object of `the present invention is to provide an ice sled for use by Sportsmen, fishermen, racing enthusiasts, and the like, and one which has a driving means including a relatively small single internal combustion engine having simple controls and no clutch, transmission, or the like, to add to the weight of the sled.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view partially in cross-section on line l-1 of Figure 2,

Figure 2 is a vertical View on line 2-2 of Figure l,

Figure 3 is a detailed View on line 3-3 of Figure l, and

Figure 4 is an end view on line 4--4 of Figure l.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views the invention consists of a toboggandike base having side members and 11 connected together by the transversely arranged support members 12, 13, 14 and 15, the first of which is disposed at the frontend of the base thus formed, the others being arranged intermediate the ends of the base. The side members 10 and 11 are tubular, as are the support members 12-15, and from each of the side members 10 and 11 which are disposed in parallel spaced relation with respect to each other, a pair of runners are supported by means of vertical tubular members 16, 17, and 18, at the lower ends of which are welded links of angle iron or steel with the apex of .the steel links forming a runner 19 for en gagement with the ice. A platform 20, of plywood or other lightweight material is supported upon the support members 12--15, intermediately between the side members 10 and 11 and has a somewhat tapered front end porj 38 and the adjacent portion of the side edges of the mounting plate 22. Pivot pins 39 supported in the brackets and the adjacent parts of the side walls 25 and 26 connect the housing 24 to the brackets 38 for pivotal movement upy 2,827,971 Patented Mar. 25, 1958 wardly and downwardly with respect to the platform 20. The part of the platform 20 confined within the open bottom of the housing 24 is provided with an aperture 23. A rst shaft 27 extends through the housing 24 and is journaled in the side walls and 26 thereof. A second shaft 28 also extends transversely through the housing 24 and is journaled in the side walls 25 and 26 of the housing 24, the shaft 28' being spaced rearwardly of the shaft 27. A pulley 29 is carried by the shaft 27 and is connected by a belt 30 to the driving pulley 31 carried by the drive shaft 32a of a motor 32', themotor being exteriorly of and supportedI upon the top of the housing 24. A sprocket 33 carried on the shaft 27 is connected' by the drive chain 34 to another sprocket 35 mounted ori the shaft 28 which also supports and is connected to the drive wheel 36 having achain 37` to insure traction. It is to be noted thattlie drive wheel 36 projects through the aperture 23 in the platform 20'.

Projecting from the rear end of the housing 24 is a yoke 24a and to this yoke is secured a supporting bracket 40 which has an aperture therein, the purpose of which will subsequentlyl appear. An upstanding U-shaped member 44`has its lower end secured to the platform 20 and to its upper end is secured a flat metal strip 45. The strip is secured `to platform 20 as at 49 and has an oifset 45 on its intermediate portion, and to such offset is secured'a cylindrical'boss. y

A lever 51 is" arranged in an upright direction with the upper end portion sloping toward the front end of the platform 20 and on the upper end of the lever is a handle 53, the lower end portion of the lever being U-shaped in configuration, Figure 3, with one leg 51a being extended through the boss and the other leg 51b being extended through a sleeve 52 and connected thereto for pivotal movement. The sleeve 52 is xedly attached to the upper end of an upstanding rod 41 which has its lower end portion extending loosely through the aperture in the bracket 40 and held against withdrawal from the aperture by 4 means of a nut 41 which is in threaded engagement with `and ice.

the threads provided on the lower end portion of the rod. A spring 42 surrounds the rod 41 and bears at its lower end against the bracket 40 and at the other end against a nut and washer assembly 43 adjustably carried by the threaded portion of the rod adjacent the sleeve 52. The lever 51 is movable to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 and indicated by the reference numeral 51', and during the movement from the position shown in s-olid lines to the position shown in dotted lines, the wheel 36 is moved out of ground engaging position against the action of the spring 42. Movement of the lever 51 to the dotted line position raises the spring and its associated rod 41 to lift the end of the housing 24 having the bracket 40 and taking the wheel 36 `out of engagement with the ground or ice, as the case may be. The purpose of the spring 42 is to also enable the drive wheel 36 to ride over any obstructions and still maintain its ground engaging position.

A seat 54 has a cushion 55 supported on the base 20 within the frame or shell 56 having a cowl portion 57 and a forwardly extending streamlined nose portion 58.

At the rear of the platform 20 is positioned a steering rudder 59 pivotally mounted upon a pivot pin 6i) and controlled by steel cable 61 operating through hollow tubes 62 and connected to a drum 63 mounted upon the shaft 47.

In use, the air cooled engine or motor 32 is provided with a centrifugally operable clutch (not shown) so that no transmission or other clutch is required. The engine or motor is started and when suiiicient speed has been obtained the wheel 36 will drive the sled across the snow Free wheeling may be obtained by lifting the and ice after a speed has been reached. Reducing the speed of the engine by means of the throttle control 64` will permit the ice sled ofthe present invention to come to a slow and easy stop. t t While only a single embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, other embodiments and modifications may be made and practiced within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

`1. A sled comprising a toboggan-like base, a platform on saidbase, said platform having an aperture, a housing disposed over said aperture and connected to said platform for pivotal movement upwardly and downwardly with respect to said platform, a drive wheel having'a portion of its periphery projecting out of the lower Vend of said housing and through the platform aperture and supported on said housing for rotary movement, and means operatively connected to said housing for effecting the movement of said housing upwardly and downwardly, said means comprising a supporting bracket projecting from the rear end of said housing, an upstanding rod having the lower end portion extending loosely through said bracket, means on the lower end portion of said rod for holding said rod lower end portion against Withdrawal from said bracket, a transversely disposed sleeve carried by the upper end of said rod, an upstanding sIip supported by said platform, a lever having its intermediate portion supported Von said strip and having one end pivotally connected to said sleeve, and means on the other end of said lever for actuating the latter.

'4 2. A sled comprising a toboggan-like base, a platform on said base, said platform having an aperture, a housing disposed over said aperture and connected to said platform for pivotal movement upwardly and downwardly with respect to said platform, a drive wheel having a portion of its periphery projecting out of the lowertend of said housing and through the platform aperture and supported on said housing for rotary movement, and` means operatively connected to said housing for eecting the movement of said housing upwardly and downwardly, said means comprising a supporting bracket projecting from the rear end of said housing, an upstanding rod having the lower end portion extending loosely through said bracket, means on the lower end portion lof said rod for holding said rod lower end portion against withdrawal from said bracket, a transversely disposed sleeve carried by the upper end of said rod, an upstanding strip supported by said platform, a lever having its intermediate portion supported on said strip and having one end pivotally connected to said sleeve, a spring circumposed about said rod and operatively connected thereto for biasing said housing toward its downward movement position, and means on the other end of said lever for actuating the latter. Y

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Steele July 4, 1933 

